For Penny, these four persons—including Francesca—were more her family than her own blood relatives ever would be.
Her own father had never cared about her. Lord Nester was too awed by his older child, the beautiful Charmaine, to be able to see the one just a year younger.
Not that Penny minded much.
Jeremiah de Vere wasn’t a better father even to Charmaine, who had more than once hinted she much more would have preferred him being indifferent toward her too.
Lady Nester loved her younger daughter dearly but was too much under her husband’s thumb to have the nerve—or the strength—to show Penny more love than a sorrowful smile now and then.
And Charmaine was Charmaine—beautiful, spoiled, and completely self-absorbed.
Penny knew her sister loved her and would never, ever, betray a secret. However, she seldom had time to listen to her younger sister’s thoughts, as she was almost always surrounded by their parents or in the company of her maid.
Penny rarely complained. With a freedom few others of her standing had, she spent her solitude with her books and her daydreams.
The only thing her father liked about her was her closeness to the Darling family. As he was a man who collected social contacts like others collected butterflies, he urged her to spend as much time with Francesca as she possibly could so he could brag about the tight bond between the families.
And then there was Rake.
With an amused grin he sat in the sixth occupied chair at the dinner table, telling his family all about his months in London.
He wasn’t the most beautiful of men, Penny had to admit, but his charisma was breathtaking, and wherever he walked he left crushed hearts behind him. Women had a tendency to fall head over heels for him, and not one of them realized—until it was too late—that his heart wasn’t in the flirtation.
The duchess had once told her youngest son that he was a snake who mesmerized his poor victims before he ate them. Rake had only laughed and shrugged the criticism off, but Penny knew his mother had told the truth.
He was a snake.
And this time she was the mouse he wanted to mesmerize. Every time she looked his way she met his smoldering gaze, and it took all the strength she could muster to force her eyes off him at once. Otherwise she knew she wouldn’t be able to stop herself from jumping over the dining room table and into his waiting arms.
He was staring so heatedly at her that even his mother noticed, and the duchess’s probing gaze had moved from Rake to Penny and then back to Rake again many times during the meal.
Francesca—bless her heart—was as insensitive as ever and chatted away with her uncle without noticing the underlying currents that passed over the table.
“But what did Lord Alvanley say when he noticed that his favorite cane was missing?”
“Oh, he whined about it until your cousin Drake organized a search throughout our hosts’ home, much to their chagrin.”
“Did he find it?”
Rake grinned devilishly. “Of course he did. It was exactly where Drake put it in the first place. And the hosts were devastated at how the stolen painting just happened be hanging on the wall where the cane was.”
Francesca clapped her hands with excitement and Penny smiled over her friend’s obvious pleasure at her uncle’s amusing tales.
The duke snorted. “I can’t believe what has happened to our class nowadays. Nobility used to mean pride and honor, but today’s noblemen and women don’t care anymore. They steal and lie and don’t give a bloody bit about anything but the façade.”
“The world isn’t just black or white. You can’t put everyone in the same room. This lord and his lady did the unthinkable—they stole from their friends—but it doesn’t mean everyone else of our acquaintance does the same. I know for certain our family doesn’t.”
The duke gave his wife a look which would have made grown men weep, but the duchess only gave her husband a sweet smile and raised her glass in a quiet salute. She knew better than to put more wood on her husband’s fire.
The duke could be a bit stubborn when he was upset over something, and they had all learnt the hard way it was better to keep quiet than to continue with an argument they never could win.
“So, Richard, did you meet anyone special this Season?” The duchess gave her son another sweet smile as he groaned over the question.
“Mother, really, isn’t it about time to give up about me getting married and just let me be? For years you have been nagging me about finding the right one, and I can’t help but wonder when you will realize I haven’t the slightest wish to marry.”
“Dearest, you are but twenty-seven years of age. There is no way I’ll put you on the shelf and let you be, as you so nicely put it. I’m your mother, and it is my duty to try to make you as happy as you possibly can become.”
Rake snorted, clearly not believing his ears. “And you think marriage is the perfect solution to make me happy? Please!”
“I think the perfect woman can.”
“There are too many perfect women out there for me to settle with only one.”
This time it was the duchess’s turn to snort. “But one is all you need, as long as she is your perfect match.”
“There is no such thing as a perfect match or a perfect woman. I know what I’m talking about, as I have been socializing with too many other men’s perfect matches and perfect women.”
“Richard!”
“Yes, Mother?”
The duchess threw her hands out in despair, a quite common thing for her to do when it came to her youngest son. “Oh, I give up. If you don’t want to be happy, fine. I can’t force you into anything against your will. All I ask you to do is to keep your mind and your heart open, because one day the right girl will appear in front of you, and I would hate to see you miss out on your own eternal happiness.”
“I’ll keep my eyes open,” Rake drawled, sending Penny another hot gaze—which she unfortunately didn’t miss, as she had been staring dreamily at him during his discussion with his mother.
Of course his look reminded her of their encounter of the morning and exactly what he had seen. She blushed, and his soft chuckle told her he noticed her discomfort.
“What do you say, Charles?” Rake nodded toward his brother. “You are not married. Are you happy? Or are you slowly dissolving in a pool of loneliness?”
“Richard!”
Rake ignored his mother’s outraged gasp and instead gave his brother an amused grin that was returned in full.
“Between the people of our church and our heathen family, there is not much time for me to be lonely. So my answer is no, I’m not dissolving at all. Sorry.”
The last word was directed toward the duchess, who sank back into her chair and rolled her eyes.
“Don’t think you have defeated me, my son. I love you too much to consider giving in to your wish and letting you be. I have my mission, and I’m stubbornly refusing to give it up.”
“Heathen family, you say?” The duke glared at his son. “Is this something you usually say when you are amongst others, or is it just with your family you’re using that word?”
Charles gave his father a smile, one as wicked as any of Rake’s, and the duke shook his head. “This family will be my death,” he boomed to his wife before he left the fivesome at the table without another word.
“So, Lady Penelope,” Rake purred. “How has it been for you, living under the roof of this heathen family?”
“We are not that heathen,” Francesca laughed, unknowingly saving Penny from having to answer Rake’s teasing. “I must admit we are not as civilized as most other families out there, but at least we try to behave in public.”
“We do?”
“Richard!”
“Mother, you do say that a lot.” Rake stood and went to his mother to give her a peck on her forehead. “But I forgive you. You are, after all, my mother, as you tend to point out every time we meet.”
The d
uchess rose and patted her son lovingly on the cheek before she ushered Penny and Francesca before her out of the dining room, leaving the men to follow the duke to the library and their glass of port. In the duchess’s salon, a tray with tea awaited them, and they sank down into the comfortable chairs, sipping on the warm liquor.
Penny sat silent as the duchess and Francesca discussed the upcoming annual August Festival at Chester Park. Teary-eyed, she took in every feature of the two, savoring the picture of them forever in her heart. She would miss them immensely when she returned to Harveyfield the next day.
She would of course see them again, as she had the habit to walk over to Chester Park every day, but it wouldn’t be the same. She wouldn’t be a part of the household and a part of the family.
Next year she and Francesca would go to London and join the ton for their debutante Season. Gone were the innocent childhood days. They would be adults and expected to behave as such, and maybe they both would be engaged or even married by this time next year.
Life as she knew it was over.
Francesca didn’t see it quite the same way. She longed for her debutante Season and could hardly wait to join the social swirl she had heard so much about. She was the granddaughter of a well-respected duke and an heiress beyond imagination and would be welcomed with open arms.
For Penny it was different. She was daughter to a penniless earl and younger sister to the outstanding Charmaine. Conversing with strangers had never been her strength, as she was terribly shy and awkward amongst people she didn’t know. She would, as always, end up in a corner of the assembly room, daydreaming, until her parents told her it was time to go home.
The duchess interrupted her sorrowful thoughts. “Are you looking forward to Mr. Bedford’s visit tomorrow?”
“I think I am.”
Francesca snorted. “You think you are? Either you are or you are not. No one would blame you if you wanted to back out of this courtship now. After all, it is Boring Saint Thomas we’re talking about.”
“Fanny! That’s rude.”
“We have known this man our whole lives. We know everything there is to know about him, and you should know, Grandmother, there is not so much to know. He is boring. He reads.”
“Francesca Darling, you are not boring because you read. Penny reads, and you don’t find her boring, do you?”
“Yes I do, but then, I’m not going to marry her.” Francesca gave her friend a wink, and Penny had to bite her lip to not laugh. She couldn’t help feeling a bit sorry for the duchess, who was surrounded by a family that loved to tease her to pieces.
“Mr. Thomas Bedford is a good man from a good family. He has eight thousand pounds a year and is the owner of a well-kept home. Any woman who marries him will have a good life with him.”
“Good is so boring,” Francesca moaned, and this time Penny couldn’t hold back her laughter as the duchess gasped, outraged.
“Ah, you two!” The duchess finally chuckled as she caught her granddaughter’s game. “You will be the death of me, too, you will, and not only of my dear husband.”
She leaned forward and put her hand against Penny’s cheek, and the love in her smile was endless.
“Never forget we too are your family. If there is anything you need help with—small or large—don’t hesitate to ask for our help.”
Penny felt tears run down her cheeks as she nodded and gave the older woman a warm, desperate hug. The duchess opened up one arm for her granddaughter and Francesca too joined the hug. For once her usual mirth was gone, and instead she planted teary-eyed kisses on both her grandmother’s and Penny’s cheeks.
“Can I join too?”
Rake’s amused voice broke through the ladies’ sentimental little moment, and they ended the tender closeness with small wobbly smiles.
“Ah, cucumber sandwiches,” Charles breathed as he threw himself over the plate, stuffing his mouth full with a couple of the delicious triangles.
The duke gave his third son a disgruntled look as he sat down beside his wife and put his arm around her. Penny had always found the casual way the duke showed his wife his love most endearing, and it was something she wished for herself in the future.
Before, it had always been Rake she had pictured next to her, but this time she tried to put Thomas Bedford in his place. To her surprise, she had no trouble at all replacing the man of her dreams with her suitor. It told her more than anything that she was more than ready to let Rake go.
If she could sit here in the same room as Rake and daydream about Thomas Bedford, she had to be walking down the right path in accepting the courtship.
Maybe this was what she had needed all along. Was a kind and goodhearted suitor all it took for her to be able to close her heart to Rake?
She desperately hoped so. She needed him out of her heart so she could have a life of her own. But what if their earlier encounter meant that he was ready to love her? To marry her?
She looked at him, where he leaned casually in the doorway, and she knew nothing had changed. He was still the same. The only difference was that the libertine in him had discovered her. He wouldn’t start to love her because of it. He had known her for ages, and if it were love he felt for her, it would have shown itself in many ways already.
Before she had a chance to look away, his eyes met hers and he gave her a lazy grin that made her heart leap with excitement. Slowly he walked over to the sofa where she sat and, without another word, settled beside her. She scooted as close to the arm of the sofa as she could, but unfortunately he caught her game.
With a soft chuckle meant only for her ears he moved slightly, until she was caught between the sofa and the warmth of his body. Nobody seemed to notice how closely they sat together, and when Charles sat down on the other side of Rake Penny knew no one would think anything of it. But she did.
Strange emotions flared through her body and she didn’t know what to do. Having him so close to her made her feel warm and breathless, almost exhausted. She had never felt anything like this before, but she guessed this was what Francesca had talked about. Passion.
“Penny dearest, you look a bit flushed, are you sure you are all right?”
The duchess’s eyes were filled with concern, and Penny leaped at the chance of escape.
“No, Lady Anna, as a matter of fact I do feel quite worn out. If it is all right with you, I will retire to my room for the night.”
“Of course, my dear. You go and have your rest. It’s a big day for you tomorrow.”
With a grateful smile to her hostess, Penny quickly moved away from Rake and, after giving her hosts a small curtsy, practically flew out the door. She stopped in the hallway for a second, feeling faint and lightheaded.
This was a side of adult life she had never encountered before, and that it was Rake who had woken up the woman inside her scared her immensely, especially considering how easily she had responded to him.
Was this how all women felt when he preyed on them? No wonder they let everything go for a blessed moment in his arms. If the rest of his family hadn’t been there, she wouldn’t have been able to leave him.
Mesmerized by the snake.
She took a deep breath as her heart started to beat more slowly, and then she made her way through the grand hallway and up the magnificent staircase.
Not once did it occur to her that he would grab this opportunity of solitude and follow her to her bedroom, eager to continue the teasing seduction of her innocent heart.
Chapter Four
“Sneaking away again, are we?”
Penny closed her eyes and grabbed the handle of her bedroom door hard, trying to find some strength.
Bloody Mary.
She opened her eyes again and looked over her shoulder at Rake, who slowly strolled toward her with a wicked grin.
Bloody Mary and Elizabeth.
“I’m not sneaking anywhere. I was simply making my way to my bedroom for a little solitude.”
“Why?”
<
br /> With a last lingering step, he stopped in front of her, so close she could feel his hot breath against her face. He leaned his head to the side as he sent her one of his smoldering gazes.
“B-because I need m-my sleep.”
“Do you really?”
She swallowed and nodded.
Again he gave her one of his lazy grins, and this time he leaned even closer to her, until their lips almost touched. Unwillingly she took a step back and bumped into her bedroom door. The grin he gave her as he moved after her could have melted an iceberg.
“W-won’t your parents m-miss you?” she stuttered nervously, and he shook his head slowly, not taking his eyes from hers.
“No. They think I had a very private errand to do and won’t miss me for quite some time. As for now, I’m all yours.”
“Please go away.”
“Why should I?” He leaned forward and, as his firm lips touched the crook of her neck, she forgot to breathe. Strange sensations washed through her body, leaving her numb and unable to move. Her knees went weak, and if he hadn’t been pressing his body against hers, she would have fallen most disgracefully to the floor.
He put his hands on her shoulders and let them slowly run down her arms until he reached her hands. In one swift movement he lifted her arms and put them around his neck.
Her fingers locked automatically, holding on to him, as his hands this time travelled downwards to end up cuddling her buttocks.
How could he turn her into this puddle of nothing? She had no strength and depended entirely upon him to hold her upright.
His lips moved from her neck up to her ear and she felt him nibble lightly with his strong white teeth.
“Goodness me,” she breathed, and he chuckled in response, a hoarse guttural chuckle which made him sound as affected as she.
“Open it,” he urged her with a whisper as he gave her cheek a soft kiss, slowly moving closer to her mouth. “Open the bloody door.”
Her eyes flew open as her mind started to work again. Open her door? He thought he was going to follow her into her bedroom to…?
Never Had a Dream Come True Page 3
